CM Naidu visits Tirumala a day after swearing-in, pledges reforms
TIRUPATI: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and his family offered prayers and performed puja at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple atop Tirumala Hills on Thursday.
Naidu, along with his wife Bhuvaneshwari, son and minister Lokesh, daughter-in-law Brahmini and grandson Devansh arrived at the temple in the morning. They were given a traditional reception – Istikaphal Swagatham - with Vedic chants at the main entrance (Mahadwaram) by TTD joint executive officers V. Veerabrahmam and M. Goutami, chief vigilance and security Officer Narasimha Kishore, temple officials and priests.
The Chief Minister and his family had a glimpse of the presiding deity in the sanctum sanctorum after passing through some rituals. After darshan, they were presented with sacred silk clothes (Sesha Vastram), calendars, diaries and holy prasadams by the temple priests.
Naidu visited the shrines of Lord Anjaneya and took blessings from Tirumala's senior pontiff Sri Pedda Jeeyar Swamy. He later travelled to the Padmavati Ammavaru temple in Tiruchanoor and offered prayers there. He was given a traditional "Purna Kumbha Swagatham" welcome by the TTD authorities.
Accompanying the Chief Minister were officials including principal secretary (Endowments) Karikal Valaven, Tirupati collector Pravin Kumar, SP Harshavardhan Raju, and newly-elected MPs and MLAs.
This was Naidu's first visit to the famous hill shrine after his swearing in as the CM a day ago.
